The world has changed drastically in the last two months. Exams cancelled, jobs lost, salary cuts, and a worldwide lockdown. Nearly every single country has been affected by the deadly novel coronavirus, which means most of you reading this today have also been affected by the mayhem caused by COVID-19. A constantly changing situation like this has had quite a big impact on our mental health. To do something different from most of my other posts, I will discuss how COVID-19 has impacted our lifestyle and then give you a few tips to keep your mind and body healthy during this unprecedented time.
Media stories are rapidly updating us with new number of infected cases and deaths and the drastic decisions made by the government. This has fueled fear and panic amongst all of us. Some students like me have had their exams cancelled. When I got the news that my GCSEs, which I had prepared for 2 years, has been cancelled, it was hard to describe what I felt. Some students felt a sense of relief, some were upset, some were angry. We have all been receiving constant updates of the situation, and to an extent it is actually important to know what is happening around us. However, for some of us, due to more time in our hands we tend to spend a lot of time watching or reading the news, and then resorting to social media for more information. This is something that we can always limit as overconsumption of this will make us feel sad, stressed and confused. Always get credible and accurate facts from official media. Refrain from spreading fake rumors on social media, and avoid spreading any sort of unverified and unauthorized information as it will not only affect you but also the wider population to who you are circulating this too. You can to some extent control the fear and panic caused by this pandemic, and it is completely in your hands to stop yourself and others from unnecessarily spreading fake rumors on any social media.
COVID-19 is in some way, a mass psychological experiment which involves all of us. People who are in lockdown and quarantine are very likely to develop stress, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and even depression and insomnia. Unfortunately, some people have resorted to alcohol and other means to deal with difficult situations such as losing a job, or simply just being overwhelmed by the entire situation.
How can you help yourself in situations like this? Use the STOPP card strategy. STOPP is an acronym for: Stop, Take a deep breath and exhale, Observe yourself and your behaviour, Pull back from what you are doing, and then Proceed and practice what works the best. I know it is easier to say than to do, but I urge everyone to not use alcohol or any other drugs to deal with you feelings. If you do feel lost or engulfed, talk to a close friend, family member, or contact a counsellor (could be from your school or university or any individual), talk to your teacher if they can help you in any way. Remember, you don’t have to go through this alone. There will always be someone to help you.
People, especially teenagers, have been neglecting their sleep schedule. If they normally go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 6pm, it’s almost non-existent now. You may have seen recent tweets and posts on instagram saying that “3pm is the new 12am”. While sometimes it can be alright to stay up this late, doing this on a daily basis (which is happening) is very unhealthy and will definitely affect your mental and physical health and performances. Your body’s circadian rhythms will change in an unhealthy way, which can cause people to become sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation will as a result cause low mood, irritability, psychological and emotional stress, and sometimes depression.
To avoid any more struggle than you are already facing, consume a balanced diet with proper nutrition. Please don’t resort to binge-eating while watching Netflix. This will lead to an uncontrollable weight gain which can cause other secondary problems (which is the last thing we want on top of a global pandemic), now that most of us are sitting at home in front of our laptops or computers for school and work. Try to incorporate workout in your daily schedule, at least for 40 minutes for 5 days a week. I’m sure you still want to get out of quarantine looking and feeling healthy and fit. Exercise can also boost your mental health and make you feel happier and productive. Before you start looking for an excuse, know that you definitely don’t need any equipments to exercise. There are numerous YouTube channels that demonstrate a wonderful workout routine. Some athletes have posted their own quarantine workout on their social media. My father and I practice Aikido for an hour everyday from Sunday to Thursday. Remember to allow yourself to fit in a cheat day in your busy schedule, but don’t overdo it (once a week is enough). And most importantly, get enough sleep! Teenagers, remember you need 7-9 hours of sleep to keep your mind and body healthy. Adults, you need at 6-8 hours of sleep to keep your mind and body healthy. Don’t neglect this! Sleep alone can boost your mood and make you feel fresh and good and ready for the day. Now once or twice a week you can of course stay up till 1am watching your favourite series on Netflix, or listening to music, or doing anything that makes you feel happy or productive.
If you happen to feel bored, find an online course on platforms like Coursera and Udemy. You can also attend webinars. For most students you cannot gain any work experiences this year, so instead you can use webinars and online courses to gain knowledge and do something productive that could actually look good on your college application. Read the pile of books that have been lying there because you simply couldn’t afford the time to read them. Improve yourself at playing an instrument. There are so many things that you can do to keep your mental health stable and keep yourself happy and engaged!
Take care of yourself, because by doing this you are also taking care of your friends and family, causing less stress for yourself and others around you.
Penning On The Way 